2016 Rankings: Top 10 Online Master’s Programs in GIS

January 21, 2016

Based on comments, the majority of readers are most interested in online graduate programs and several new players have emerged just in the past year. So, for my 2016 rankings, I’ve decided to focus on online Master’s degree programs in GIS/Spatial. To keep the task manageable I will not include any Certificate programs, only programs offering graduate degrees.

As I’ve cautioned in previous posts (see 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 rankings), the programs I consider to be the very best may not be the best for you. Graduate education is an individual decision; there is no one-size-fits-all approach. That said, I’ve ranked the programs according to my perception of quality and relevance for students wanting to pursue a Spatial Career.

Penn State: The Geography Department at Penn State is one of the world’s best and their online GIS program is the most established and probably the most prolific in terms of producing graduates. They have a huge number of course options and a variety of emphasis areas. I worry they’re still a bit stuck in the older, ESRI-driven GIS generation 1.0 world but there’s no disputing their expertise in GIS and online education.

Johns Hopkins: Although Johns Hopkins doesn’t have a geography department they have a long history of excellence in Regional Science, which is essentially quantitative economic geography. I’ve heard from students who have participated in the program and they give it very high marks. In addition, graduates benefit from strong brand recognition and a solid cohort of professional/adjunct instructors living and working in the Washington DC area where GIS jobs are plentiful.

North Carolina State: The Center for Geospatial Analytics has pulled together a strong interdisciplinary cohort of research and teaching faculty to offer a Master’s in Geospatial Science and Technology. The curriculum appears to be quite rigorous and the University’s location is likely to facilitate post-graduate job opportunities in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, a great place to pursue a career in technology.

Wisconsin: Another new program with a very exciting looking curriculum and offered from one of the best geography departments in the world. I like the looks of everything about this program except for the size of the teaching faculty. It’s not clear to me who will be doing the bulk of the teaching; in fact, there may be only one or two instructors? This seems inadequate. I look forward to seeing the faculty list lengthen after which I would likely improve Wisconsin’s position on this list.

Washington: The focus on Washington’s new program is sustainability which is a cool word, sort of like holistic, but I’m not really sure what it actually means if you’re looking through a GIS lens. It’s probably a very good program and worthy of investigation if you’re looking for an environmental career with GIS in your toolkit. But, if you’re more interested in programming, visualization and spatial analysis I think you could do better elsewhere. Also note there’s some requirements to show up in person which may make this less attractive for those not living on the west coast of the U.S.

Arizona: With a solid geography department, this could be an excellent program. But, Arizona doesn’t dazzle me with GIS/Spatial expertise, that prize would go to their in-state rival, Arizona State and Luc Anselin’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning (no online GIS programs I’m aware of at ASU). That said, the University of Arizona is an outstanding university and their program may far exceed my perception and expectations. Definitely worth a look but probably less cutting edge than some others on this list, though I’d be happy to be proven wrong.

Kent State: I’m seeing advertisements for Kent State’s new online program everywhere so they’re certainly doing a good job of promoting via Google AdWords. And, it looks like the program is geared toward use of GIS within Environmental Geography. This is cool and could be ideal for some. But, I probably wouldn’t want to be an early adopter here. If you are choosing from among one of the newest programs go for Kentucky or Wisconsin as I expect them to outperform Kent State in the long run.

Northern Arizona: If it were me I’d want to move to Flagstaff and emerge myself in the beautiful surroundings along with the graduate program as it’s offered both online and in a traditional residential format. This could be a good option for those inclined to the environmental side of geography and GIS but it’s a bit difficult to tell how current the faculty might be technologically. I would be worried about suffering through courses where you only learn how to push buttons in ArcGIS and don’t actually learn how to write code for the web.

Well, there you have it! I hope this provides some direction and insight for those of you shopping for an online GIS graduate degree. I would have liked to include tuition information but for many programs it’s very difficult to figure out actual costs. It’s not clear how in-state/out-of-state tuition comes into play nor how additional fees might impact total program cost in some cases. You’ll have to investigate on your own. Obviously cost is a huge consideration so as I learn more I’ll try to keep you posted. Thanks for reading!

Justin

Justin Holman is CEO of Aftermarket Analytics, where he leads efforts to develop cutting edge sales forecasting and inventory optimization technology for the Automotive Aftermarket. Prior to joining Aftermarket Analytics, Justin managed corporate consulting for the Strategy & Analytics division at MapInfo Corporation, leading major projects for retail clients including The Home Depot, Darden Restaurants, Bridgestone-Firestone, Sainsbury’s and New York & Company. Before that, Justin served as Vice President of Software Development at LogicTools, now part of IBM's supply chain application software group. Justin holds a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College, a Ph.D. from the University of Oregon and an Executive Management certificate from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

76 Comments

When I worked in higher education publishing we had a publishing partnership with Ersi when ArcGIS was being released, and the department at USC was heavily involved. I remember those professors doing some really interesting research and being very easy to work with.

Hello Justin,
I have just recently come across your site and absolutely love it. I am a recent graduate, (12/15) from Mississippi College with a BS in Homeland Security W/ a 3.14 GPA. I am 42 an want to pursue a career with the federal government with either the State Department, DIA, CIA,NSA, or the NGA. I spent five years in the Navy as well. My question is what would be the best Geo-spatial Intelligence program for me considering my passion being intelligence and my specific career path?
Would a Geo spatial Information Technology Master in Applied Science be ok?? I have really looked at Delta State’s MIS GIT Program.
I would greatly appreciate any advice you may have.
Thank you very kindly for your time.

Chad

PS
Justin I wrote this in a comment section on your 2015 article. I found this article and wanted to copy and paste it to make sure I was able to get a hold of you. I read the article and once again love the insight. However, I did not seeing anything specific for Geo-spatial Intelligence. Forgive my ignorance if I over looked something. I am still very new in this field.
I am looking to start grad school this Fall and do not know anything really about the field. Is there in thing I could study to better my chances of getting into grad school? Something that I could put into my letter of purpose to make me more attractive of a candidate?

Hi Chad,
Glad you found me and glad to hear you like what you see. There are online programs in Geospatial Intelligence that you might consider. USC (Southern California) and Penn State have Geospatial Intelligence offerings that may be of interest. Also in DC Metro there is a Master’s program offered at George Mason that looks very good. Here’s a link to explore: http://cgeoint.gmu.edu/
If you want to work for a federal agency then, of course, DC is the place to be … for school, internships, etc.
Hope this is helpful.
Best wishes,
Justin

Thanks for you kind words about our program at UW-Madison beginning in Fall 2016.

Just to clarify about the number of instructors we will have:

We offer three courses per semester. Three of our faculty have developed the courses and will be involved in their instruction during the first iteration.

We are in the process of hiring additional GIS educators to act as the day-to-day instructors for our courses with input and constant consultation from the faculty creators. The hiring process will be completed this spring. We’re keeping the program small during the first iteration — capping full-time students at 30 — to make sure students get the best, most personalized experience possible. In sum, our students will be taught by highly skilled, personable instructors with renowned faculty also being regularly involved in the courses.

We’re super excited to kick this program off, and I’m very happy that you think so highly of our program at this early juncture.

I also want to say thanks for writing your great blog! I’m an avid reader.

Best,

Ian Muehlenhaus
Director of the M.S. in GIS and Web Map Programming at UW-Madison

Hi Ian!
Thanks for clarifying the instructor situation – I’m sure this is a big help to potential students. Good luck with your first year! I hope it’s a great success. Also, thank you for your kind words .. and for reading!
Best,
Justin

Thank you so very much for your response to my questions. You gave me some very useful information. I had already looked at Penn State, simply because of their name and reputation in the educational industry. Another question for you is, if I decide or have a better opportunity with the civilian side of business what area would you recommend to concentrate in??

I have heard that with a degree in GIS or GIT there are many great options out there. I was leaning and thinking about the oil and gas industry, even in the downturn it is in. It will not graduate until December of 2017, so that gives some time for the industry to rebound, which I know it will eventually. Just was curious and would love your thoughts on the subject.

Once again Justin thinks for responding and the great work you do and information you put out on your blog. I am also looking at Pueblo, CO as a future residing place. Loved your blog on the city.

We’re happy at Penn State to answer anyone’s questions regarding our program foci and costs. We’re quite far from “GIS 1.0” and have blazed the trail on areas like Lidar, UAVs, our award winning Open Web Mapping class and many other topics. We’re also among the only options who publish the vast majority of our course content as Open Educational Resources. In addition, we launched the first Massive Open Online Courses in GIS/Geodesign/GEOINT and continue to invest a tremendous amount in the instructional design talent that helps deliver our programs to ensure student success.

We’re extremely proud that we are always able to find tons of alumni who are happy to talk about our programs to anyone who might be interested – we are always eager to support that conversation rather than rest on our web materials alone or the stuff I might say as Director.

Hi Anthony,
Thanks for the information. I’m sure this is a big help to prospective students.
Sorry if you found my GIS 1.0 characterization undeserved. Could you comment on the technologies taught at Penn State? How much of the curriculum is based on ESRI software vs Open Source?
Thanks for commenting!
Best,
Justin

We’re quite varied now across our curriculum. In addition to what might be the expected Esri stuff, we use CartoDB, Mapbox, SOCET SET, OpenLayers, PostGIS, Pix4D, and plenty of other bits and pieces. One thing that’s tough about this kind of education, and what we spend a ton of effort on, is to constantly update/modify/revise what we offer to stay ahead of the curve.

At the same time, we are not designing software training classes – there are plenty of non-University options out there for learning only about software. We are coupling together the core competencies in our field with relevant technological solutions to tackle spatial problems. So that’s why I also think a key element of innovation in this space is to focus time and energy on distance learning itself. We have a team of 7 learning designers who are experts in pedagogy and educational technology to advance us in that dimension. Every class is the product of a collaboration between a learning designer and expert faculty member. That model seems to work really well.

I am part of the new Geodesign program at PSU, and am pursuing the Certificate in GIS in conjunction. I come from a Landscape Architecture background, and love the program. My GIS courses have been fantastic, and while they teach the software the main focus has been much more than software based. I have been able to contribute to GIS functions in my role as a City Planner halfway through the first course. The open course material is amazing as well, and will continually serve as a professional resource.

I am current a student at Georgia Tech studying in their GIS Master’s Program, MSGIST. This program is a few years old and within the City & Regional Planning Program under the college of Architecture and definitely more planning focused; however, because of Georgia Tech’s Center for GIS and the school’s reputation, I think it will become a very good program. The planning program is ranked top 5, so hopefully their GIS program follows behind.

As an earth/atmospheric science undergrad, I am trying to incorporate that into my studies at a planning focused school, I was curious if you might have some tips for cover letters and such.

We have three intake periods for the MGIS program at Penn State each year. We also offer five class sessions throughout the year, so students can choose whichever time is best for themselves. MGIS students begin in Fall, Spring, and Summer sessions, and because up to 15 credits earned in our Certificate programs can transfer into the MGIS degree, you can actually take a class or two while you complete your application to the MGIS degree program and those credits will count toward your degree progress if you are accepted.

We’re happy to answer any questions you may have at [email protected] – drop us a line!

You are my only savior when it comes to questions on my mind. Please be patient.

I wanted to ask how much do you recommend changing my field from what im doing to GIS now. I know its late for me. I am 25, I did under grad in geography. From where i grew interest in it. However i didnt pursue cause it wasnt that known / recognized in India then.

I still have it in me as a desire. Would you recommend, starting a career in it now is a waste of thought and wont turn out as good as its in my mind.

Hi Shruti,
If you’re only 25 years old, it’s certainly not too late or a “waste of thought” to change career direction. But you don’t need to dive off a cliff either. Learn as much as you can without quitting your current job or making any major changes. Take small steps, gather information and look for bridges that will allow you to continue moving toward the good stuff.
Best wishes,
Justin

Hi Shruti,
There are too many factors to consider to give you an average. Salaries vary tremendously by location, industry, role, etc. And every individual brings their own profile to the bargaining table. If you want to maximize the salary of your first job learn to write code.
Best wishes,
Justin

Hi Michelle,
Glad to hear DU offers a great program from your perspective. I’m aware of the program and, to be honest, I don’t recall why it didn’t make the cut on my list. I’ll have to give it a second look for next year. Thanks for the comment!
Best wishes,
Justin

Hello Justin,
I have an interest in the GIS field, mostly it’s applications with archaeologicall, environmental, or natural resources. I have no experience or prior knowledge of GIS analysis and was wondering if you could recommend a program for someone completely new to the field. I have a Bachelor’s degree in History. I was also looking at GIS certificates to start and then obtaining a Master’s. Thank you.

Hi Dave,
Any of the recommended programs on this page or on one of my other ranking pages should be able to accommodate you. Many graduate students, including myself, discovered geography after completing a bachelors degree in a separate field.
Best wishes,
Justin

I’m wondering if you could give me any recent/new thoughts on NC state’s online GIST masters program since the time of your original 2016 blog post. I have been wanting to advance my education for some time now and have an a strong interest in GIS. My career is in natural resources and have a bachelors in the field. I have been tossing between Penn State, John Hopkins, and NC State. USC is just way too much in cost. The reason why I’m leaning towards NC State is because their GIST program is housed under their College of Natural Resources. So, I feel I could have better connections / familiarity with their curriculum. But, I’m not really sure if that should be the exact reason for NC State. Just wondering if you have any new insight on the NC State online GIST program.

Yes, it’s possible to pursue a PhD after completing an online Master’s. But, it’s not the right way to go. The online Master’s won’t be nearly as helpful as a research oriented Master’s degree with thesis in a traditional residential program where you can work directly with research professors.

I’m wondering if you know of any geography or GIS programs that focus on cartography design or visualization?I am interested in studying the influence of cartographic representations of geographic locations on the way those physical locations (the reality of the actual places) are perceived by various groups. Do you have any recommendations for programs I could look into? Even though this is more of a sociological than a hard science approach I’ve been told I might do better to try looking at GIS programs rather than Geography masters programs; however, I’m having trouble identifying programs that seem to mesh with my interests.

Hi Suzanna,
Well, I can’t help but plug my alma mater, so I would urge you to take a close look at the University of Oregon. You might also consider Wisconsin. If you want an online program maybe check out USC or Penn State. To me this sounds like a traditional Master’s thesis sort of campaign where a traditional, residential program would benefit you the most.
Best wishes,
Justin

Thanks for the advice. I’m definitely interested in looking at residential programs. I think my biggest issue right now is finding programs that sound like they would encourage my academic focus and aren’t so heavily environmentally focused.Even if you in particular don’t have any recommendations, do you know of any resources that might be useful to help figure this out?

To clarify, I’m reasonably sure that someone somewhere would be interested in my proposed focus. My problem so far has been actually finding those programs. Beyond looking at the structure of programs I’ve been focusing on checking out the kind of research that professors are involved in, and so far I haven’t been able to find a program/professor whose interests seem to match mine (which is obnoxious because I’m sure they exist). What I’ve run into is that the majority of the graduate programs I’ve looked at so far (I’m going for my masters) either seem heavily environmentally focused or emphasize aspects of human geography that don’t fit with what I want to study-I want to focus on the real-world interpretation of cartographic choices.

I actually went to Oregon for undergrad, and while I enjoyed my time there I’m not sure if a good fit for me now, or if I would be a good candidate.

Hi Suzanna,
Have you talked to your professors at Oregon? Amy Lobben, Chris Bone and others should be able to identify promising programs and people. Sounds like you’re doing the right things. Just keep pushing and your effort will pay off. It’s not a bad idea to have a research topic similar but not identical to a graduate research advisor … so maybe broaden your search a bit?
Best,
Justin

I am currently working with the City of Philadelphia. I am looking into pursuing a Masters degree and can not seem to decide on a program. I have almost 2.5 years experience in the field now and I have 3 classes done with Penn State (for the non-degree certificate route), but I am also thinking about the possibility of continuing with Northeastern. What are your thoughts on this dilemma and thoughts on the Northeastern program?

Hi Daniel,
If you’ve already started down the road with Penn State and like it I would continue. Northeastern seems to have a good program but they have no name recognition whereas Penn State is arguably the top GIS program in the world. I think you’d be better off continuing with Penn State.
Best wishes,
Justin

What would your recommendations be for a would be college freshman desiring undergraduate degree in Geography with possibly a minor in GIS?

Most of the ‘top lists’ for Geography majors focus on Graduate and Post Graduate programs. I would be interested in seeing a list that focuses on Undergraduate programs – something along the lines of ‘overall programs’ as listed in your “2015 Rankings – Top Graduate Geography Programs for Spatial Careers ” article classified as ‘tiers’ but for Undergraduates programs and for overall Geography, not for any particular specialization.

In the same article you commented that “when in doubt, you’re likely better off attending a graduate school at a large major University, especially one that serves as a flagship public institution for the State.” Is the statement true for undergraduate schools as well? Or at that level would private colleges be also strong contenders?

Good question, Maddie. At the undergrad level I think it’s less clear and more dependent on the individual student. Smaller schools like Dartmouth, Middlebury and MacAlester have amazing programs but I wouldn’t recommend them over a large University necessarily. Again I think it depends too much on the individual situation. Lots of other factors to consider, especially if you’re a traditional undergrad entering college at age 18 or thereabouts. Plus financial situation can override everything else. I might be able to help more if you told me more about your specific situation. Feel free to email if prefer a private exchange. Best wishes, Justin

First, I am looking for a GIS program that emphasis web application technology. I noticed the University of Wisconsin at Madison program seems to do this and the University of Maryland program seems to have a lot of courses related to application development. Is it a reasonable expectation to think graduating from one of these programs would make you a competent application developer or would more IT courses be required? Do you know any other programs like this besides the two I’ve mentioned. Would I be better off at focusing on GIS in a GIS program and the application development in IT program?

With online courses there doesn’t seem to be a lot of transparency. I am afraid that I will enroll in a program online only to find out later the profit motives have become the priority over the educational objectives. Such a program might look to cut costs, have lax enrollment standards, pack classes with as many students as possible and encourage students to take as many classes at a time to advance through the program as quickly as possible. These are difficult things to measure, do you have any suggestions on how to weed out programs that over-emphasize the profit scheme.

Hi Jim,
There are many programs beside the 2 you mention. To become a web application developer you really need to learn a current technology “stack” and put it to use by building a real application or contributing to a team development effort. You really can’t rely completely on any education program doing it for you. You will have to take responsibility for learning what you need to know on your own. I would either begin to work with web tutorials, books, etc to teach yourself application programming and/or find a program that will facilitate taking coursework in the Computer Science (or similar) department.
Best wishes,
Justin

Hi Alabi,
I don’t have information on the many programs I assume exist covering both areas. And, you may be able to create your own program by seeking out a University offering both geospatial/GIS training and Public Health training, even if they are in separate departments. Depending on your career objectives it may be better to get a standard Masters in Public Health with a few electives in GIS/geospatial rather than the other way around.
Best wishes,
Justin

Alabi, Johns Hopkins has just kicked off a new online Masters program of Applied Science in Spatial Analysis for Public Health that incorporates GIS. They are entering their second year and are currently seeking applicants for the second cohort to start this fall. Meaning the first cohort has not yet graduated.

Justin, Given this is a brand new program I cannot find any feedback on the quality of the courses and the success of getting a respectable job upon graduation. I know Johns Hopkins has a great reputation, but I am still weary. Have you heard of this program and do you know anything about it?

Justin,
Thanks for including North Carolina State once again! I’m the director of the program and we’ve undergone a lot of curriculum updates over the last couple of years and pride ourselves on being innovative in our approach and exposing students to the theory, application, and development of geospatial systems. If you ever want to learn more about some of these we are doing now and future plans for the program, let me know! Happy to chat.

Hi Mika,
Thanks for mentioning U of R! I’m familiar with U. Redlands and agree they have a very strong program, especially convenient for those hoping to work for ESRI after graduation. This particular list is for online programs. I don’t think Redlands has an online program, or is there something new I should know about?
Best wishes,
Justin

I’m curious if you have heard of a good Graduate program for more of the remote sensing tract? More on the applied side than scientific/academic side. Looking for more knowledge to support my job where we almost never have the data, traditional GIA analysts have. We often have to create our data from remote sensing sources.

Justin, could you recommend a few schools that focus on project management alongside GIS? I know I’m probably looking for a lot but I would love to learn more about the project management side, more in-depth coding/ development, and infrastructure.

Hi Adam,
You might want to check out the program at Salisbury University: http://www.salisbury.edu/geography/msgism/
Another option would be look for project management coursework separately, perhaps through a business school.
Best wishes,
Justin

Justin,
I really appreciate this blog, and your effort at rankings. I’m almost 39 years old (ouch!) and I’m STILL dreaming about that career change that will lead to meaningful, satisfying work. I did half a masters degree in Geography before the schedule basically pushed me out (or I would have had no job to pay my bills), and I have since obtained a certificate in GIS because I love it and really wanted to keep learning it. But since job descriptions for even entry level GIS Analyst ask for absurd amounts of experience – and I can’t quit my job to get months of volunteer experience with GIS – I think I’ll need to suck it up and finally spend on an online GIS degree. I still have that sinking feeling that an online degree isn’t going to carry the weight I need to in order to get jobs, but I’m pretty sure I’ll regret it if I don’t try. I’m going to be moving/traveling in the next couple of years, and I’ll need that flexibility. So thank you for understanding those of us in this position and for these rankings. I’m priced out of USC for sure, but the Penn State program is sounding better and better the more I look at them.

Hey Justin,
I am an undergraduate student pursing my bachelors degree in Computer Engineering and I was planning to do my masters in GIS from Georgia Tech. So I wanted to ask about Georgia Tech. Is it good for GIS? Also are any job opportunities available if I get masters in GIS from Georgia tech or John Hopkins or University of Maryland?

Hi Gauri,
Georgia Tech is a very strong technical University so I suspect their program in GIS will be solid and highly technical. But, you may miss out on the benefits of a spatial perspective as I don’t think there are many geographers affiliated with the program. Johns Hopkins and Maryland are also outstanding options and you’re more likely to have good geographers to help you along the way. Probably can’t go wrong with any of these three programs but you’re basically choosing between Washington DC and Atlanta. DC will have a lot more opportunity in the GIS realm so I would lean slightly toward JHU or Maryland. Hope this helps.
Best wishes,
Justin